Now at Stanford University, the three women have teamed up to form Maykah, a startup aiming to create toys that encourage young girls to study science, technology, engineering and math. Their first toy is Roominate, a dollhouse for girls to build, from decorating it with wallpaper to installing the circuits that power the lights, fans and door buzzer.

All three founders trace their passion for technology back to their childhood playthings. Brooks said she asked her dad for a Barbie, only to receive a saw, which she used to make a dollhouse. Chen built elaborate Lego creations with her older brother. Kessler grew up playing Mastermind with her dad. They hope that Roominate will offer the same kind of inspiration.

"There are lots of great toys on the market," Kessler said. "But we don't see the toys that inspired us when we were young."

Workforce disparity

The startup reflects the concerns about the lack of women in science and technology. Though women hold 56 percent of all professional jobs in the United States, they make up only 25 percent of the tech industry's workforce, according to the National Center for Women & Information Technology, a nonprofit.

The disparity begins at a young age. Walk down the toy aisle at most stores, and the gender divide is evident. Cars, trucks, trains and construction toys are marketed to boys. Aisles aimed at girls are filled with dolls, fairies, princesses and all things pink.

By high school, only 19 percent of the students taking advanced placement computer science tests are female. In college, just 18 percent of computer and information science graduates were women in 2009.

"Just the picture or the way it's packaged, it makes it clear to parents who is expected to play with the toy," said Linda Kekelis, executive director of Techbridge, a nonprofit in Oakland that offers science and technology after-school classes and summer camps for girls from fifth to 12th grades.

That's the reason it is critical to reach girls when they are young, she said.

"We think it's so important to reach girls early on, when they're still exploring and thinking about who they want to be when they grow up," Kekelis said.

Developing toys

Maykah has been brewing as part of StartX, Stanford's student startup accelerator. Its first prototype was a car that girls could build and decorate as an animal. But the founders quickly found that the toy was like "chocolate-covered broccoli" - not that appealing to young girls.

Their next attempt has been much more successful. Roominate, which will be available for parents to order online beginning Monday, comes with all the pieces that girls ages 6 to 10 need to assemble a working dollhouse. Maykah is still determining the final price.

The three have been testing the dollhouse with parents and children, including at the Children's Creativity Museum in San Francisco. About two months ago, they also sought support through Kickstarter, the online crowd-funding site. The response was overwhelming. They quickly surpassed their goal of $25,000, receiving more than a thousand orders from six continents and raising nearly $86,000. Last week, the founders said they have also raised an undisclosed amount of angel funding.

Now they have lined up manufacturing and expect to begin shipping the dollhouses in a few months to young girls.

"We want young girls to see every career, every discipline as an option," Kessler said. "We want all girls to have an excitement for all subjects."

California Girls in Stem Collaborative Project (CalGirlS): Part of a national network, the statewide group brings together organizations throughout California focusing on girls and science, technology, engineering and math. sfg.ly/RWTciv.